THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the compound that produces the high feeling in cannabis.

A new study this week by CDC researchers found that 82 percent of people hospitalized with EVALI reported using THC-containing products. This was out of almost 2,000 cases where data on vaping products used was available.

However, 13 percent of people reported using only nicotine-containing vape products.

Of those who provided information on where they obtained the THC vape products, 78 percent said they got them informally such as from family, friends, dealers, or online.

This “reinforces CDC’s recommendation to not use e-cigarette, or vaping, products that contain THC, especially those acquired from informal sources,” wrote the authors of the study.

Cristine Delnevo, PhD, MPH, director of the Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies, said the drop in EVALI cases is “likely attributed to efforts to shut down the illicit supply chain of THC oil, and cannabis users avoiding vaping.”

Steven H. Kelder, PhD, MPH, Beth Toby Grossman Distinguished Professor in Spirituality and Healing at UTHealth School of Public Health in Austin said recent policy changes may help slow this rise in youth vaping.

“A lot of schools are using this program,” said Kelder. “The teachers say they enjoy teaching it and they report that the kids are also liking it. So that’s a positive sign.”

He hopes to expand the program to include sixth through ninth grades, and also follow a larger number of teens to see how many in the program say no to vaping.

These programs can help keep youth from starting to vape, but Kelder said more is needed to help current young vapers quit.

Some ‘quit vaping’ programs for youth exist, but Kelder said there’s still not an effective treatment for children and teens addicted to nicotine — which he estimates may be as many as 3 to 4 million in the United States.

He said another unknown is what will happen to youth who aren’t able to stop vaping.

“There’s a whole range of things that could happen,” said Kelder, “but we’ll have to wait and see.”

One concern is the “gateway effect” — that teens who start with e-cigarettes will move onto combustible cigarettes.

Also, cigarette smoking among adults and youth are at all-time lows. But the recent popularity of e-cigarettes — and their high-nicotine content — could change this.

“Due in large part to JUUL, we have a new generation of nicotine addicted e-cigarette users,” said Delnevo. “Ironically, [the current] policy environment is primed to now promote gateway to cigarette use.”

Written by Shawn Radcliffe on January 16, 2020 — Fact checked by Dana K. Cassell